But the three-time Selke Trophy (defensive forward) winner senses a four-peat is going to be rather difficult.

Datsyuk was named a finalist for the award along with Canucks center Ryan Kesler (Livonia) and Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews.

"Good competition every year," said Datsyuk, who played in just 56 regular-season games because of injuries. "It's getting harder and harder."

Datsyuk finished with 59 points (23 goals, 36 assists) and was plus-11. He had a 54.6 faceoff percentage and was 11th in takeaways with 71.

"(Datsyuk would) win it hands down if he'd played all the games," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "(Kesler and Toews) are phenomenal players. Obviously I think Pavel is one of the best players in the world. It'll be fun to see who wins."